Linda Hunt Reportedly Explained Why She and Her NCIS Character Hetty Lange Are Similar

In a recent interview, Linda Hunt related her personal life to that of her “NCIS: LA” character, Hetty Lange.

The sterling actress is known for her portrayal of the role of Hetty Lange on world-famous American crime series, “NCIS: LA.”

Hunt has become a fan favorite on the show, and while speaking in an interview with Daily Beast, she disclosed that the success of playing Lange hinges mostly on the fact that the character seems similar to her in reality.

Hunt is the recipient of numerous awards all attesting to her skillful acting. She won the Academy Award for supporting actress for her fantastic performance as male Australian-Indonesian dwarf Billy Kwan in 1982’s “The Year of Living Dangerously.”

Her enormous success in the film industry makes it very difficult to believe that she had a rather difficult childhood, thanks to her dwarfism.

When she was very young, doctors diagnosed her with a form of dwarfism, saying she will never grow taller than her current 4 feet 9 inches. Never one to shy away from the past, Hunt openly discusses the difficulty she had back then and always attests her survival to her family.

She said:

“When I was growing up, particularly during puberty in my teen years, I was so miserable because I elicited so much teasing and meanness from my teenage cohorts.”

Now, she is happy to be widely recognized and has gained confidence in everything she does. Hunt said:

“These days, there are some teenagers out there who actually think that what Hetty is doing is cool and what Linda Hunt is doing is cool... I love that.”

One of her most famous acts is playing the deadly and multitalented Henrietta “Hetty” Lange in NCIS: LA. During the interview, Hunt spoke extensively about how popular the Hetty character has become, which she even disclosed she found very surprising. Hunt said:

“I think people have always liked in me the combination of being the underdog because I’m a tiny woman, but I have enormous authority in myself.”

She disclosed that it is that constant switch in Hetty's personality that has drawn so many of her people to her both in the fictional setting and reality.

Hunt also explained that same thing to be the one thing she finds in common with Hetty. With her feeling so closely related to the character, it is no wonder that her acting is near perfection.